The Red Sanders Anti-Smuggling Task Force (RSASTF) seized 20 red sanders logs, a car and a stock of provisions from a group of smuggling operatives at Bhupal Colony in Karakambadi on the outskirts of Tirupati on Saturday morning.
According to the task force officials, a patrol party had spotted the movement of a large batch of smuggling operatives (woodcutters) at the foothills between Timminadupalem and Bhupal Colony on Friday night. After a hot pursuit, the woodcutters allegedly resorted to stone pelting at the combing force, which advanced forward with firearms.
Finding themselves cornered, the operatives abandoned the logs and fled into the thickets under the cover of darkness. After a thorough search, Sub-Inspector M. Vasu and the team seized the logs, a car left nearby for transporting the logs, and some provisions.
Task Force Deputy SPs V.Giridhar, D. Murali Dhar and K. Venkataiah inspected the spot. A case was registered, and additional forces pressed into action to flush out the operatives from the Seshachalam forest.
